Lauren Wessinger
Lauren Wessinger
Lauren Wessinger has been a yoga instructor since 2009 with a 500-hour certification throughthe Yoga Alliance. She is also certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction anduses that practice to lead mindfulness sessions to public school children through theMindful Schools method.
By Lauren Wessinger
Back-to-school time means checklists, scheduled routines, new teachers, and a lot of anticipation. As much as we care for our child’s outer world for the new school year, their inner world needs just as much support during this time.
These three practices are meant to be short moments repeated many times. Resilience is built over time and with practice, and the more comfortable your child is with these self-regulation techniques, the more likely they are to utilize them whenever you’re not there to help them.
Anchor breath is a classic mindfulness exercise for children (and works well on adults too!). Choose a quiet moment to share this with your child. So they feel part of the teaching, ask them what an anchor is for a boat and listen attentively to their reply. Then, explain that their breath and body can act like an anchor for their mind by pulling attention back when it travels away to anxious or worried thoughts.
Have your child sit with eyes closed and place their hand on their body where they feel the breath (it’s usually belly or chest). Tell them that this part of their body is the anchor. Guide them for one minute to feel their breath at the anchor spot, and each time they notice their mind float away, take a breath into the anchor spot and come back to the present.
"Real but not true." As adults, it’s easy to forget that children feel the exact same emotions as we do, and they feel them just as strongly. Is the emotion they’re feeling real? Absolutely, because they’re feeling it! But is what they’re worried about true? Probably not. Worried thoughts are about potential future events that haven’t happened yet, and usually don’t happen. The four words “real but not true” are easy for your child to remember and powerful in helping them reframe worried thoughts. This four-word phrase can open supportive dialog between you and your child.
Get outside. One of the best ways to adapt to the stress of new routines is to get outside in the sunshine with bare feet on the grass. Even when it’s hot out, just 15 minutes of after school outside time, instead of indoor screen time, works wonders for the brain and nervous system. Getting outside regularly after school is a great habit to instill, and it helps our children shake it all off.
About Lauren Wessinger
Lauren Wessinger has practiced yoga since 1994. For 20 years, she worked in the world of large corporations and small businesses and spent time traveling the world to provide corporate training. In 2019, Lauren launched The Mindful Project, an organization providing mindfulness-based training to corporate teams, individuals, and students. She has also ventured into the world of entrepreneurship with the creation and ownership of SoulSpace Yoga Community studio in Fort Worth. Find out more about The Mindful Project at themindfulproject.co.
